With his team in need of a boost after falling behind by 18 points during the first quarter on Sunday in a matinee matchup with the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic transformed into a showman and put on a show to lift the squad to a 3-0 start to the season.
Trailing 47-29 at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers (3-0) turned to their unquestioned leader. Doncic took the team on a ride, clinging to his superhero cape, sinking a 3-pointer to send the Lakers into halftime up by three, 74-71, and finishing the first half with 25 points.
Doncic didn't stop there, finishing with 52 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in a 132-123 road win, connecting on 17-of-30 shooting from the field and 8-for-18 from three-point range in just over 38 minutes of work. The performance was just the latest in Doncic's theatrical history, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick .
"You know, I think for him in particular, when he's in the flow state, he gets into like 'Showman Mode.' He's on stage performing, and it's always really fun to watch," Redick said of Doncic's performance.
"He's always in 'Showman Mode,'" teammate Austin Reaves said, who contributed 29 points in the win. "I think he's always ready to get a bucket. So, knowing that as a teammate, we just let him do him, and we're going to benefit from it as a team."
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to pass against Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) during the second half at Delta Center. Photo Credit: Rob Gray, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The Lakers gave up 16 second-chance points while allowing Utah to grab six offensive rebounds in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Reaves went scoreless in the first quarter before tallying 15 points in the second quarter to power the comeback. In his return to Utah after joining the Lakers in a sign-and-trade this summer, center Walker Kessler was held to two points, seven rebounds and a block. That made Doncic's heroics even more needed .
Doncic eclipsed 3,000 regular-season points as a Laker in the win, needing just 95 games to do so and becoming the fastest to reach the mark in franchise history. He breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's previous mark of 109 games, which was set during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons.
Scoring 13 of his 52 points in the fourth quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the three-point arc, Doncic put the team on his back down the stretch. In the process , he moved past former teammate LeBron James for the sixth-most 40-point games (19) in franchise history before eventually recording his 10th career 50-point game.
It is Doncic's third 50-point game with the Lakers , tying James for the fifth-most in franchise history. Doncic also became the first player in franchise history to record at least 50 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 made 3-pointers in a single game. But after his team's lackluster start on the road, Doncic admits the Lakers can't afford to fall into a double-digit hole moving forward.
"It's one of the best feelings. You know, down the stretch of that game, hitting those threes. That one-legged (3-pointer), I was disappointed I didn't make. But as long as we got the win, you know, I'm happy," Doncic said after taking over in the fourth quarter .
"We had a terrible first quarter, so those five (players) that came back in the second quarter helped us to get this win. … (We) played the basketball that we know how to play and we learned our lesson, so we cannot start games like this anymore," Doncic concluded.
To continue their winning ways, the Lakers know they will need more from Kessler after his season-low output. That said, fellow new addition Collin Sexton stepped up off the bench on Sunday, scoring 13 points in a reserve role. The Lakers will now try to get off to a better start and run their winning streak to four Tuesday night at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Photo Credit: Rob Gray, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
